Irony: FDA announces major safety concern with common contraceptive on World Contraception Day

Advocates of abortion and birth control often speak of “empowering women” with unbiased and vital information about reproductive health, but their silence following the most recent warning from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) calls into question the nature of their concern for women’s health. On September 26, 2011, the FDA announced that it “remains concerned by the potential increased risk of blood clots” associated with the use of one of the most popular types of birth control pills. As irony would have it, the date of the FDA announcement was also recognized as “World Contraception Day” (WCD) by organizations dedicated to the promotion of contraception, such as Marie Stopes International, Population Council, and International Planned Parenthood Federation.